Tiny Travel Lens Choices

[Deleted member 65559]

Truly a tiny combo..... Leica CL with MS Optical lens. (photo found on the net)

 

[Richard G]

Currently 28 Summaron M. That is tiny. And I’d like the Elmar too if mine was as good as yours. Last overseas trip I had the version 4 Summicron 50 and Elmarit 2.8 28 ASPH. That was the smallest current Leica lens in production at the time. No need to have a smaller, lighter kit than that, but the collapsible Elmar is hard to beat for under a coat or in a coat pocket. I have the chrome Elmar M 50 2.8 but it doesn’t collapse nearly so far. And it is heavy. Haven’t held the black one which would be lighter. The little 50 Summarit is impressively short too. And a 40 on my Monochrom is still in my thinking, maybe the new LTM Voigtlander.

 

[brusby]

I wish Leica, or someone else, would make a small, pocketable full frame digital rangefinder for LTM or M mount lenses, something the size of the original Barnacks or original CL. It'd be great to be able to slip a full frame Leica with trusty collapsed 50mm Elmar f3.5 into a pocket.

Leica's original vision of small size and portability is just as insightful today as it ever was, if not more so.

 

[boojum]

I wish Leica, or someone else, would make a small, pocketable full frame digital rangefinder for LTM or M mount lenses, something the size of the original Barnacks or original CL. It'd be great to be able to slip a full frame Leica with trusty collapsed 50mm Elmar f3.5 into a pocket.

Leica's original vision of small size and portability is just as insightful today as it ever was, if not more so.

The Leica IIIc was 13.7 centimetres long. The Pixii is 13.8. That's a 1mm difference. I believe the "dark box" is deep enough to handle a Leica collapsible lens. Full frame not yet. I bet it is down the pike.

Can you live with Micro 4/3 with the possibility of FF? I have a Canon 28mm LTM f/2.8 which is tiny. The CV 35mm is also quite small and about equivalent of 50mm FF. Likewise a Canon 35mm LTM f/2.0.

Food for thought. Have you seen the B&W? https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10158457658876640&set=g.668692364396682

 

[Deleted member 65559]

Here's one i had for a while.... a tessar lens salvaged from a Nikon point & shoot....build by MS Optical's Miyazaki san.

 

[kirio]

A couple of lenses I converted from point-n-shoot cameras, inspired by similar MS Optics conversions.

Nikon 28/3.5 from Nikon AF600 Converted to Leica M Mount, using Industar 50/3.5 helicoid (hence the DOF scale which are not applicable to the adapted lens):

Nikon 35/2.8 from Nikon L35AF Converted to Leica M Mount, using collapsible Industar helicoid:

 

[Archiver]

Is it my imagination working overtime (again, says my ever patient partner), or has there been a recent upsurge in the numbers of photographers, especially younger ones, using film cameras again??

Of late in Melbourne, I see more and more young people (mostly Asian) carrying 1980s and even 1970s SLRs. Most have prime lenses, likely 50mm, and not the huge zooms so popular 30-40 years ago when it seemed everybody who was anybody had to have a 80-400 'cannon' ( firearm, not camera brand) on the Pentax, Minolta or whatever they had. All those film cameras then more or less disappeared from public view in the mid-to-late '00s when the first decent quality DSLRs hit the market, but now seem to be returning to favour - even with the absurd crazy prices for film here in Ozzy.

Not sure about 2022, but I've seen a few younger people with film SLR's in the city. A couple of years ago, there was a young blonde Australian woman with a Contax G1 and 45mm f2.8 at the NGV. She looked so cool in blue jeans and a woolen jumper with the G1 hanging across her shoulder, it made me smile.

As for tiny travel lenses for M cameras:

The older generation Voigtlander Skopars are all very small, including the 21/4, 25/4 and 35/2.5 PII. Our own SimonSawSunlight does some amazing work with his 35/2.5 PII on the M3 he got from our departed Tom A.

Voigtlander Color Skopar 25mm f4 P

Voigtlander25mm - test shot two by Archiver, on Flickr

CV 25/4P - Golden by Archiver, on Flickr

If you're willing to step up a little in size, the Elmarit 28 Asph is a super little lens, and the Voigtlander Nokton 35/1.4 is a fast gem. The latter is a little glowy wide open, but stopped down it is sharp, and has interesting character. It was one of my most used lenses on the M9 before I got the Distagon 35, which is definitely not a tiny travel lens.

Leica Elmarit M 28mm f2.8 Asph
M9 - The Flowers of Freedom by Archiver, on Flickr

M9 - Faux 50's by Archiver, on Flickr

Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f1.4
M9 - The Path Home by Archiver, on Flickr

A lens which I enjoyed, but traded for the Distagon because it didn't see much use, is the Collapsible Heliar 50mm f3.5. It has an old style design like the collapsible Elmar, complete with focus lock tab. I had the bronze limited edition, it looked really good on the M9, too. The Heliar had the most 'round' organic rendering I've seen in a modern lens, there was something incredibly pleasant about it. Too bad it was f3.5, not fast enough for my liking.

 

[Godfrey]

It's hard to get much smaller than an MS Optics Aporia 24mm f/2:

Leica CL + MS Optics Aporia 24mm f/2​

It even works passably well adapted to my Hasselblad 907x:

Hasselblad 907x + MS Optics Aporia 24mm f/2​

Fitted to the Leica CL:

Ride Lunch In Japan Town - San Jose 2021
Leica CL + MS Optics Aporia 20mm f/2
ISO 200 @ f/4 @ 1/400​

Fitted to the Hasselblad:

Direction - Santa Clara 2021
Hasselblad 907x + MS Optics Aporia 24mm f/2
ISO 100 @ f/5.6 @ 1/60​

G

 

[raydm6]

Post your examples of the smallest travel lenses with acceptable image quality?

Not sure if a pinhole body cap would qualify as a lens or exhibit acceptable image quality? (posted this before)


Leica M6 | Winder-M | Finney Pinhole Body Cap f/128 @30mm by rdc154, on Flickr


Station of the Cross by rdc154, on Flickr

 

[David Hughes]

There seem to be a lot of small lenses on large cameras and I can't see the point of that if we want something small and neat for travel.

So I'd suggest on the medium size a Leica CL and just its 40mm Summicron or else the Leica C3 which has a 28 to 80mm f/3.6 zoom.

There's even smaller RF's with fixed lenses like the Konicas, Monoltas and Olympus range.

Smaller still and still good are the very compact zooms from the mid 90's like the Olympus µ-V and so on.

There's also the Olympus XA and its cousins, which many of us swear by for a travel camera. I've just returned from a short break and took my XA with me but many swear by the XA2 /3.

And for small travel digital cameras. look no further than the excellent Panasonic/Leica range; the LX5 or D-Lux 5 is my favourite.

Years ago I showed this as a good and small travel outfit:-


It still has a lot going for it. A posher version would be the Leica table top tripod with the Minilux (film) or D-Lux 5 (digital) but I'd keep the Cobra slave unit which, using just one AA battery, is immensely useful when travelling.

Regards, David

 

[Archiver]

There seem to be a lot of small lenses on large cameras and I can't see the point of that if we want something small and neat for travel.

So I'd suggest on the medium size a Leica CL and just its 40mm Summicron or else the Leica C3 which has a 28 to 80mm f/3.6 zoom.

There's even smaller RF's with fixed lenses like the Konicas, Monoltas and Olympus range.

Smaller still and still good are the very compact zooms from the mid 90's like the Olympus µ-V and so on.

There's also the Olympus XA and its cousins, which many of us swear by for a travel camera. I've just returned from a short break and took my XA with me but many swear by the XA2 /3.

And for small travel digital cameras. look no further than the excellent Panasonic/Leica range; the LX5 or D-Lux 5 is my favourite.

Years ago I showed this as a good and small travel outfit:-

View attachment 4782682
It still has a lot going for it. A posher version would be the Leica table top tripod with the Minilux (film) or D-Lux 5 (digital) but I'd keep the Cobra slave unit which, using just one AA battery, is immensely useful when travelling.

Regards, David

If we're looking outside tiny M mount lenses for travel, I'll second the use of a Panasonic LX digicam. The LX7 is a powerhouse for travel, offering a 24-90mm equivalent range, wider if using the 16:9 aspect ratio with it awesome multi-aspect ratio sensor. The LX7 was my favourite pocket camera for ages until the lens barrel motor died.

LX7 - Fractal Reality by Archiver, on Flickr

It's replacement is the 1 inch sensor LX10, which has considerably better dynamic range, but sadly lacks the multi aspect ratio sensor.

LX10 - Neon Streets by Archiver, on Flickr

Micro Four Thirds has fantastic small lenses like the Olympus 25mm f1.8, which is pocketable when paired with the tiny Panasonic GM1:

GM1 - Bug Eyes From Behind by Archiver, on Flickr

The Olympus 12mm f2, 17mm f1.8 and 45mm f1.8 are also tiny and very high quality. With a Panasonic GX85, they are extremely unobtrusive and can shoot almost anything on holiday.

 

[wosim]

For me the most liberating experience is: one camera, one lens (the lens, you like most).
The second choice: a versatile lens, like the Dual-Hexanon 21/35mm, a light 90mm (like the Tele-Elmarit 90mm f2.8) and a tiny fast lens (like the Voigtländer Nokton 35mm or 40mm f1.4).

 

[Retro-Grouch]

You guys are making us medium format shooters very envious. The best I can come up with is the older and smaller 75mm MC for my Bronica ETRS with a WLF and simple crank film wind. Smallest interchangeable lens combo I can create in MF, but no Leica CL! However, the smallest travel lens I have, and perhaps my favorite, is the 75mm f3.5 Tessar attached to my Rollei. Now that's light and compact enough to rival some 35mm combos.

 

[shawn]

Full frame, 61 megapixels and the body is only about 14mm longer, 3mm taller and 12mm deeper than the Contax T the lens came from. Lens doesn't collapse anymore though.

 

[Freakscene]

Full frame, 61 megapixels and the body is only about 14mm longer, 3mm taller and 12mm deeper than the Contax T the lens came from. Lens doesn't collapse anymore though.

RIP to that particular Contax T.

 

[shawn]

RIP to that particular Contax T.

It was already dead, I bought several, in pieces, years ago that had failed electronics in them.

This brought new life to the lens.

 

[brusby]

If we're looking outside tiny M mount lenses for travel, I'll second the use of a Panasonic LX digicam. The LX7 is a powerhouse for travel, offering a 24-90mm equivalent range, wider if using the 16:9 aspect ratio with it awesome multi-aspect ratio sensor. The LX7 was my favourite pocket camera for ages until the lens barrel motor died.

LX7 - Fractal Reality by Archiver, on Flickr

It's replacement is the 1 inch sensor LX10, which has considerably better dynamic range, but sadly lacks the multi aspect ratio sensor.

LX10 - Neon Streets by Archiver, on Flickr

Micro Four Thirds has fantastic small lenses like the Olympus 25mm f1.8, which is pocketable when paired with the tiny Panasonic GM1:

GM1 - Bug Eyes From Behind by Archiver, on Flickr

The Olympus 12mm f2, 17mm f1.8 and 45mm f1.8 are also tiny and very high quality. With a Panasonic GX85, they are extremely unobtrusive and can shoot almost anything on holiday.

The LX3, 5 and 7 were all terrific cameras, super tiny with great image quality.

 

[brusby]

For the longer end of my portable kit, the 90mm Elmar F4 three element on M9
L1007920 by Brusby, on Flickr

 

[peterm1]

I am seldom known for using small lenses. But I have been experimenting with the Fujifilm system recently as my smaller camera option and being rather small cameras for the most part I have been encouraged by this fact to select mainly small classic lenses when shooting manually.

The following are all excellent in their own way (some obviously so given their heritage)

- Leica Tele Elmarit 90mm f2.8 (fat version)
- Canon LTM 50mm f1.5 or Canon 50mm f1.8
- TT Artisans 23mm f1.4. (Having the equivalent of a 35mm full frame field of view, it is a fairly newly released lens which has received plaudits widely in reviews and I can say deservedly so. it is not a perfect lens but is very good and has some nice classic rendering.)
- Nikkor Rangefinder 135mm f3.5 in black and chrome. (This is much lighter than its all chrome variants and is physically small for a 135mm lens.

For days when I feel that I need AF given the subjects I intend to shoot, I will use:
- Fuji 35mm f1.4.
- Fuji 50mm f2.
Both are excellent lenses and really quite small and light when compared with offerings from other systems.

 

[Bingley]

How about the super tiny and very good CV Heliar 40mm f2.8? My LTM version seldom leaves my Leica III. That combo is great for travel if saving size and weight are priorities.

Lisboa, Rio Tejo by Steve Macfarlane, on Flickr

Douro River at Porto by Steve Macfarlane, on Flickr